The present invention relates, in general, to a bumper structure for a motor vehicle.
Nothing in the following discussion of the state of the art is to be construed as an admission of prior art.
A bumper structure is mounted to the front or rear of a motor vehicle to convert generated impact energy into deformation work, in the event of a frontal or rear impact with a road user or in the event of a collision with an obstacle, so as to prevent or minimize damage to vehicle components, in particular the chassis, and thus to limit the amount of damage. In addition, a bumper structure is provided to assist in the stiffening of the vehicle chassis. Since bumper structures should also be as lightweight as possible, complex constructions have been proposed to reconcile these seemingly contradictory functions. However, for a number of reasons, the various proposals lead only to compromises that are endowed with drawbacks and shortcomings relating for example to manufacturing techniques or to the effect that is hoped to be obtained but cannot always be realized.
It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved bumper structure which obviates prior art shortcomings and which is lightweight while still ensuring high stability in an attachment zone between a crash box and a bumper cross member and allowing production in a simple manner.